Conflict Management Tips – Part One

When attempting to manage a dispute you need to be concerned with both process and outcome. Let’s talk about the process in this post.

It is imperative that the process be seen as fair. This means that the parties perceive the process as fair. The parties must feel comfortable that there is a fair degree of neutrality by the mediator. They need to feel that their individual rights are being fairly protected. Additionally they need to feel that the environment in the room is fair.

The participants need to be satisfied that their privacy will respected. They need to feel satisfied that they were involved in the process and no one party dominated the discussion.

The process needs to focus on coming up with a solution that can be implemented. It has to be workable. The facts, ideas and arguments used in the processed to be relevant understood by the disputing parties.

And, the process needs to be efficient. It has to be seen as worth the hassle. It must not be too disruptive and it must be seen as a good use of the time dedicated to the process.

The other side of the coin is outcome. I will talk about that in the next post.